Representative Joe Barton of Texas introduced a bill Friday that would allow for the legalization of online poker in the United States. The bill, named the “Internet Gambling Prohibition, Poker Consumer Protection, and Strengthening UIGEA Act of 2011,” would allow individual states to choose whether they want to allow residents access to online poker rooms.
“Poker is an all-American game, and it’s a game that requires strategy and skill,” said Rep. Barton in a statement Friday. “Millions of Americans play poker online. Although it’s legal to play for money, it’s illegal to process the transactions that allow players to collect their earnings.”
“We want to have an iron-clad system to make sure that those who play for money are playing in an honest, fair system where they can reap the benefits of their winnings. To put it simply, this bill is about having the personal freedom to play a skill-based game you enjoy without fear of breaking the law. ”
The bill has 11 co-sponsors, including Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) and Rep. John Campbell (R-CA). Many parts of Barton bill look similar to the one drawn up by Frank last summer that never made its way through the Senate. Barton’s bill is fuzzy in some areas, but several regulations were drawn out regarding matters such as player age requirement, cheating, license eligibility, and deposit methods.
The bill would prohibit players from using credit cards for transactions and enforce an age limit of 21. Younger players would not be able to cash out any winnings, but would be responsible for any losses. Cheaters, meanwhile, could be charged with a federal crime, punishable by a fine and/or up to three years in prison. The bill mentions the use of bots as well as collusion as forms of cheating, but would not initially prohibit popular tracking programs such as PokerTracker or Hold’Em Manager.
Like versions of online poker bills of the past, this bill would allow for only U.S. residents to play against one another, isolating Americans from playing against players from other countries as they had been accustomed to on sites like PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker.
Players would also have the option of excluding themselves from playing on a particular site. Should they find a way to play during their self-exclusion, the same rules for under-aged players would apply for those caught in the act.
The legislation doesn’t have a timetable, but Barton and his supporters are in the process of moving it as quickly as possible. If passed, the bill would need to make its way through the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of the Treasury, and then the Director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. The licensing framework would then begin under the supervision of the Department of Commerce. That department would have control over issuing licenses to online poker operators.
The Barton bill was met with overwhelming support Friday by the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), a Washington-based non-profit group formed to protect poker players’ rights. The PPA released a statement following the release of the bill:
“On behalf of the PPA membership and millions of poker players across the country, I thank Congressman Barton for his commitment to protecting Americans’ freedom to play poker on the Internet,” said former Senator Alfonse D’Amato, chairman of the PPA. “As recent events have shown, the lack of clarity surrounding online poker has wreaked havoc on Americans who choose to play this great game both for fun and in some cases as their profession. Congressman Barton’s bill aims to bring clarity to the law, while implementing tough consumer protections and providing a mechanism for the Federal and state governments to collect billions of dollars in revenue. ”
Congressman Barton will make an appearance at the World Series of Poker Saturday to announce the ceremonial “Shuffle Up and Deal” for Event #43, a $1,500 No Limit Hold ’em tournament, at Noon PT. Players can voice their support of the bill to him in person at the Rio, or send a customized email to their member of Congress urging him or her to support the Barton bill.
